Pinot Blanc might be the prettiest restaurant in the Valley. It has the feel of the country home in Provence that, in your dreams, your favorite uncle owns. Even the lampshades are perfect, and the patio in the back is a wonderful spot for a meal when the weather is clement, just as a table by the fire in the dining room is ideal when the rains come and the temperature drops.

Born as part of über-chef Joachim Splichal's culinary empire, Pinot Blanc is now under the command of chef Sean Knight, who draws inspiration from Splichal and then blends it with his own Wine Country sensibilities. The secret here is to go with the specialties, whatever they might be. The classics, from the pot of mussels and the French onion soup to his version of Salad Niçoise are also to be reckoned with. But lest things become too serious, there is always the "Soup of Yesterday" and the "Back Door Salad" and yes, they are exactly as described.

Not to sound pandering, but as many times as we've dined at Pinot Blanc we've yet to try anything we haven't liked. The kitchen has a great way with seafood, but the same can be said of their preparation of meat, poultry, game and vegetables. And desserts, leave room for desserts, too. Service almost always matches the cuisine, and their wine list is as expected, which is to say excellent, with many of the harder (or impossible) to find labels on the list. Wines by the glass are equally stellar.

Bouchon

Even if you were sitting in the middle of Montparnasse, Bouchon would be a little over-the-top in its exquisite bistro ness. The Ferrari-red facade, bistro chairs and mirrors, burgundy banquettes, requisite zinc bar, authentic French posters and a menu full of the classics of French bourgeois cookery. The shellfish platter of oysters, clams, shrimp, mussels and lobster is a perfect spot to start, and there's always a daily quiche, soup and tartine du jour. Making a meal of appetizers and oysters at the bar is always rewarding as well.

For entrees, the poached Atlantic cod, pan roasted trout, mussels steamed in white wine, roasted chicken, steak frites and the leg of lamb are all fine choices, and the wine list offers that rarest of things in the Napa Valley: French wines, a nice contrast to the local competition.

There is some serious discussion as to which restaurant has the best pommes frites, Bouchon or Pinot Blanc. In true egalitarian fashion we suggest that the only way to decide is to try them at each place, then decide. But before you leave Bouchon have the profiteroles. To miss them would be a serious error.

Service is uniformly excellent, in that bistro style that combines professionalism with a certain sense of bemusement. Bouchon is open late (until 1AM with a limited menu) and a dinner for four with a nice bottle of wine will cost you about the same as it would cost you to dine solo at the French Laundry, where Bouchon owner Thomas Keller is most famous. House wines are noteworthy and most are available by the carafe and half-carafe.

I am not sure that it would be possible to have a meal at Tomatina and not enjoy yourself. When the weather is nice you can sit outside and at any time of year you can settle into the decidedly high-energy indoors, but what makes Tomatina such a find is that you get well prepared, thoughtfully created meals at a price that makes you wonder why there isn't a Tomatina on every corner.

To call Tomatina a pizza place would be to skip over the house-made mozzarella, the Fusilli Michelangelo, gnocchi, ravioli and ditalini with forno-roasted chicken, the bright and crisp Caesar salad and pan-roasted mushrooms that announce their arrival with a cloud of garlic but are surprisingly mild. Then there are the piadine, which are salads atop oven flatbread. A pictograph comes with each order so we won't describe them further other than to say they are an interesting option. Despite all this, ask people what they think of first when they hear the name of this stylish St. Helena restaurant and they are going to say "pizza!"

And that is not a bad thing, especially when the pizza is as good as they make, from the ubiquitous Margherita (which is taken to a new level here, with an organic tomato sauce and that lovely mozzarella) to the North Beach, which includes prosciutto and sausage among the toppings. You can also create your own from a long list of ingredients, but no matter what, order the garlic rolls as well. Yes that is more bread, but never mind that, go ahead anyway.

Tomatina is child friendly in that they are allowed, the menu appeals to them and there are things to keep them occupied until the food arrives. Prices are reasonable, service is remarkably good for the volume of food served and the wine list is so much better than you would ever expect in a "pizza place" that there is really no comparison. But then, Tomatina is a lot more than pizza.